At least 2,000 Amazon warehouse workers in Germany have gone on strike over safety concerns relating to coronavirus, as the company announced it would hand out $500m in “special one-time Thank You” bonuses to its frontline employees globally.
Staff at six Amazon facilities in Germany did not clock into work on Monday, according to the union Verdi, which has demanded that the company sit down with it to negotiate a collective agreement on health protection at work and better pay.
The strike, which the union said would last for “at least” two days, comes as up to 40 Amazon workers at two fulfilment centres in the central German town of Bad Hersfeld have tested positive for the virus in the past two weeks.